 Poster: A snowHead
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Ski with a mature group of a dozen, ages 42-58 all competent skiers, some very very competent. Just as importantly we do like our apres, and occasionally some of us should act our ages and not our UK shoe sizes.
For the last 10 years or so we have skied various resorts in Austria which we love, including Schladming, Soll, Saalbach and Kitzbuhel. This year, because of recommendations for the skiing and apres we have decided to give St Anton a try. We have usually stayed at 4* star hotels but due to trying to keep the price realistic and some of us were not even hardly using the hotel facilities to give an Austrian Chalet a try, hence we are staying at the Alpenheim on the 23/01/2016 for a week.
I have done an Austrian chalet before and loved it. Always found you get what you put into a ski holiday and by trying to help the chalet staff help you have a good time you are half way there. I appreciate they are normally staffed by youngsters but by the end of January they should be into the swing of it and ‘cooking’ on gas’.
I have a few questions hoping some may be able to help us with.
Ski Equipment – We normally arrange our own ski hire for those who need it. Is there anywhere relatively conveniently placed and priced that you would recommend or suggest we avoid.
Skiing – There are not to many black runs we won’t try but some ski them properly and others just survive them. Some of us (moi) have had a few bad ones which we still ache from years later if you get my drift. Steep steep and very narrow is not a high priority. Although a lot of us have skied for a while and mostly in Austria our opportunities to ski on unpisted safe runs in powder has been limited so any advice on this will be greatly received.
Apres- We know St Anton has a great reputation for apres, we always try and find a lively place with decent live music but appreciate that it is a younger resort. We can party with the best of them but don’t want to be in a youth club. Any suggested watering holes.
Thanks for taking the time to read and thanks in advance should you reply.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Ski hire is notoriously expensive in st Anton so if you can take your own, take it.
In terms of live music. Snowtones if they are playing this year are great - usually play in griabli opposite the mooserwirt but did not this year. Gunar is a long standing favourite. Plays in murml (sp??). It's an ok venue but he used to play Piccadilly and the atmosphere was jumping in there. Underground on the piste have live music too. Piccadilly will have live après bands on too
Enjoy. I'm heading to hinterglemm this year and missing out on st Anton so a role reversal for us. I'm sure neither of us will be disappointed. 
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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| Quote: |
| Ski hire is notoriously expensive in st Anton so if you can take your own, take it. |
That must be compared to rates in Kazakstan, Macedonia etc...??
A quick search of a random online ski hirer in St Anton brings up Intersport - which offers basic skis for 6 days at €93, through to top performance at €150. Both prices include early booking discount. There is stuff in between too.
I wouldn't call about €20 a day expensive....
Advance booking online is the way to go  .
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Considering the destinations you have been appreciating in Austria, you will find that the skiing in St.Anton is more challenging. And seriously so.
I'm not so much talking about the off piste for which the area is famous. Also on-piste, and especially later during the day, when moguls tend to form on many of the descents towards the village. This especially goes for the main skiing area. For the more timid skiers in your group especially black piste nr. 2 "Galzig Kandahar" is to be avoided later in the day.
The Rendl area is much quieter and therefore the pistes remain better during the day. And moreover the separate Lech-Oberlech area (not to be missed) is a heaven of darkblue and lightred gentle and pretty pistes.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Great bits and pieces coming and much appreciated, moutainaddict those prices are similar to what we have paid in Salbach and Kitzbuhel the last 3 years so to be expected. It wasnt that long ago when it was nearly a pound and Euro as well!! 
For those of us who want to spend a bit of time off the main pistes and in a bit of powder I have heard 'back country' type skies would suit the overall skiing in the area. Any views?
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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I found ski hire via AlpinResort for St Anton quite acceptable and not as expensive as its reputation.
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FYI Kazakhstan makes St Anton look cheap @mountainaddict, maybe one to remove from the 'must ski' list if budget is of any consideration.
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Main run to Nasserein is not that much fun for tired legs at the end of a day. Happy Valley is a ubiquitously miserable experience if you don't like slicing and dicing. However the skiing is generally ace if you try to spend as little time on piste as possible.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Loved the Underground bar for apres which seemed to cater for the more chilled out, mellow and older types. Presided over by the infamous and quite scary Joan, it was a great place to head for at the end of a top ski day. I see on tripadvisor some people say it's hard to find. Just keep right and head past the Museum. Live music and a fun atmosphere without being loud and lary. Can't speak for the food later on, but we certainly managed to wile away a couple of hours each day. Did the Mooserwirt too which is quite a hoot!
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I ski with a very similar group and we're St Anton regulars. There's a lot of guff talked about the level of skiing; if you're all competent you'll all be more than fine, and there's more off-pitse than you can shake a stick at for those inclined. Granted most slopes are a few degrees steeper than the average grading, but nothing so silly as my least competent mates can't get down them, along with the appropriate achievement grin. It's less slick than many ski areas, in that some pistes are less defined as some and the signage sucks, so be prepared to go with the flow once or twice, but that's part of the place (for me at least).
Do a day in Lech/Zurs for a bit of bling, flattering skiing and a long indulgent lunch at Rud-Alpe.
As for apres, you're at ground zero. We prefer Taps to KK or MW for the obligatory pre-town stop. Taps is adjacent to KK, has cheesy dance & balcony options, approx a million times easier to get a drink and gets the last of the sun. KK & MW like trying to have a drink in the middle of a rugby scrum. Griabli also good, more chilled and has views of the madness at MW.
Anywhere that takes your fancy in town on the way back, if you're chalet'ing you'll have dinner sorted, then hit town if you're still standing. Given what you say about your group you'll have a blast.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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Dr John, you are saying all the right stuff and should a fifty something year old be getting exited about his ski trip in Ocober? I obviously need to grow up.
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@Dave of the Marmottes, the nas run isn't fun at the best of times to be fair. I wouldn't say the valley is as bad as you say, but you can cut off the worst moguls by taking the short lift up to gampen then cruise down an empty 21.
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You know it makes sense.
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@Scarlet Fez, You're welcome. I get excited about my next ski trip the day after my last, don't worry about it.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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Regarding cost of hire, it will be interesting to see the fall-out of the consortium busting court case where 4 major operators got rather large fines (covered elsewhere here I'm sure). I strongly suspect hire prices will be lower than in previous years.
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Poster: A snowHead
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Been there often and your group will have no problems, although Happy Valley not too pleasant at end of day; more like an endurance test.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| Dr John wrote: |
| There's a lot of guff talked about the level of skiing; if you're all competent you'll all be more than fine, and there's more off-pitse than you can shake a stick at for those inclined. Granted most slopes are a few degrees steeper than the average grading, |
Agree with the first bit, but not the last.
Sure, the pistes in St Anton get cut up and bumped more than many other resorts, but none (literally not a single one I can think) of them are steep or difficult in and of themselves.
For instance, the black piste running down from the Schattberg (lol) in Saalbach is steeper and more challenging than any of the pistes in the Arlberg.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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We stayed in the Alpenheim a few years back and thought it was great. A short ski down to the Nasserein gondola each morning, and you can ski back to it if so inclined (but you'll probably be distracted by the Mooserwirt/Krazy Kangaruh!). Food was good, rooms comfortable and staff very laid back and friendly. They do make you wear slippers in the chalet though, shoes have to be left by the door!
As for apres, pretty much everywhere is good. Mooserwirt tops the list for must-do places. Get there for 3.30 to watch the start with the Final Countdown and see it change from a sedate restaurant into an apres mad house. Worth eating there for lunch one day too, the portions are enormous.
We also loved the Piccadilly, and there's live music with Gunar in the Kandahar bar as well (if he's still there?), although it doesn't get really get going in there until 5ish. That's my memory from a few years back anyway.
Go over to Rendl if you fancy a flattering day's skiing on more cruisey pistes. Lech and Zurs are definitely worth a visit.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Hopefully this will help re ski hire.
Google Translate wrote:
Four sports shops in St. Anton am Arlberg have been sentenced to fines in the total amount of 419,200 euros on account of illegal collusion over twelve years. The judgment of the Cartel Court fell on April 28, it is legally binding.
Due to this reason, if present are further inquiries into sporting goods and ski and winter tourism in the running, the Federal Competition Authority (BWB) of the APA said on Friday.
Agreements in goods and services
The companies were accused of anti-competitive price-fixing in winter sports equipment and related services, such as rental and servicing of skis taken. In addition, the company had the market by "Nichtabwerbevereinbarungen" divided and prohibited recommendations.
As the BWB announced on its website, was against the company "Sport Pangratz & Ess GmbH" a fine in the amount of 144,000 euros, against "Alber Sport GmbH" 136,000 euros, against "Sport Jennewein Martin eU" 128,000 Euro and against the company "Sport Fauner GmbH & Co KG" imposed a fine in the amount of 11,200 euros.
The defendants incidents occurred between 1 July 2002 and March 4, 2014. The Company and the office parties waived an appeal, the decision is now final.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Stanton, thanks for that. Come the end of the day with ski hire you get the equipment you pay for. There may have been a bit of 'cartelling' going on but on the whole we have always found the 'kit' to be of good quality hence most of our group have not bought their own skis to Austria for years.
I'm sure we will with a bit of research and recommendations find a suitable shop for the equipment and service.
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@Scarlet Fez, Rental ski equipment has exploded in recent seasons especially in resorts where thee customers have to fly. (Brits,Irish,Northern Scandinavians) .
The extra tariffs imposed by airlines for ski trasportation has bought about a new resurgence in Ski Renting.
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@stanton,
Not only from overseas;you just might check the number of flights Transavia does to Innsbruck and Salzburg. That is from Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Eindhoven and Groningen...
Holland has approx 1 million skiers....(on 16 million inhabitants). Small country, lot of people....
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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@Langerzug, tuurlijk Nederland ook 
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| NickyJ wrote: |
| I found ski hire via AlpinResort for St Anton quite acceptable and not as expensive as its reputation. |
AlpinResorts has just set through a discount code of News101 for Austria (and other countries)
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FAQ
). Live & learn as they say. 
